Schools in GOP bull's-eye gain

Published 11:41 pm, Tuesday, May 1, 2012

ALBANY — Without notice, the Republican-controlled Senate approved $9.95 million in aid to school districts apportioned with partisan discretion.

The move drew howls of protest from the chamber's minority Democrats, who noted all the funds were steered to parts of the state represented by GOP senators. It's an election year, and the ability to deliver state resources is a staple for incumbent legislators.

"This is a vile act of one-sided unfairness," said Sen. Adriano Espaillat, D-Manhattan.

The exact source of the money is befuddling, and there is no formalized process for districts to apply for grants.

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The funds were apparently drawn from a $16 million pot of unobligated education money, called "bullet aid," that was included in the state budget adopted in 2011, said Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Republicans.

The $132.6 billion spending plan passed earlier this year includes a similar $20.6 million appropriation. Some deride the unobligated aid as pork; others say it is necessary to plug holes in the state's set education funding formula.

Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, sought clarity about what was being voted on during an evening debate on the Senate floor, and asked explicitly, "Is there any money for districts represented by Democrats?"

"I don't think so," said Sen. John DeFrancsico, a Syracuse Republican who chairs the chamber's finance committee. "I feel as much remorse now as when you delivered all of your discretionary education funding to Democratic districts," he added, referring to the period when the other side controlled the chamber in 2009 and 2010:

As the Democrats scrambled, they spent a dozen minutes quibbling over a typo in the amount of aid detailed to one district. Republican Sen. Joe Griffo shouted as he tried to maintain order.

No school districts in Albany County, represented by Democratic Sen. Neil Breslin, were marked for extra money. But the resolution did contain dollops of aid for districts in the Capital Region represented by Sens. Hugh Farley and Roy McDonald, both Republicans. This includes $35,000 for the Troy City School District and $20,000 for the Shenendehowa Central School District, which encompasses wealthy suburbs in southern Saratoga County.

"We are voting on a resolution that outlines specific allocations from last year's budget," said Reif. "These allocations have been posted on the Budget Division's website for months."

After an hour of bickering, the resolution passed. Even most of the Democrats who decried it — including Sen. Neil Breslin, D-Bethlehem — chose to vote for it, saying they didn't want to hurt schools.